How do you feel about Google’s new Street View contraption? For those who haven’t spent the last hour furtively scrolling through the site, visit maps.google.com.au, type in your address, click ‘street view’ and see what pops up.

My address shows up in fine fettle – the images were taken on a lovely sunny day, and a friend informed me (after I pestered her to have a look) that our land looks ’...kind of like Majorca’. I’m not sure whether this is a good, bad or indifferent kind of response. Either way, it’s a bit exciting in a primary school sort of way to be able to say ‘Look! That’s my house!’

After finding my house, I took a virtual, summer-day stroll up our road and around the corner. To be honest, there’s nothing about Street View’s version of my patch that bothers me. No cheating spouses popping into next door’s hay barn; no unflattering images of my own face; no illegal parking.

Smh.com.au, however, has put together a gallery of, um, slightly unfortunate outcomes: http://www.smh.com.au/photogallery/2008/08/06/1217702097295.html

It’s all a bit creepy, as a concept. I can’t quite see any really justifiable reason for the endeavour but perhaps that’s because I’m belligerently old-fashioned when it comes to technology developed post, say, 2003. Or perhaps it’s simply because I enjoy getting lost, and try to do it as often as possible. All these interactive maps and whatnot mean I have to keep inventing more and more creative excuses (I say this like it’s a bad thing…).

What do you think? Are you offended at the unflattering angle from which Street View’s caught your dashing abode? Have you spotted your own face somewhere? Or have you been left off the map completely?